Brother (Short Story)

The Lights We Chase, The Nights We Steal

"Hey Mikey, it's me." Gerard spoke to the voicemail for the hundredth time, praying his brother would listen to this one and not delete it like the others. "Listen, I'm worried about you. Lindsey says she's stopped by your place, and you weren't there. I don't know where you go and I have no right to keep tabs on you - you're a grown man - but you're still my brother, and you haven't called or visited in months; it's not like you. David says he hasn't seen you for a while either." Gerard took a deep breath. "Bandit's really worried about her favorite uncle, too. We all are. . . Just call me when you get the chance. At least let someone know you're fine, all right? Mikey, I'm sorry."

Gerard hung up the phone and sighed as he rested his face in his palms.

Mikey and Gerard hadn't exactly ended on the best of terms the last time they were together. The two had gotten into a pretty heated argument, and Gerard said some things he wished he could take back. Thinking back, it was stupid to let the fight escalate to the point of digging at each other's throats, and he regretted every single word he said to hurt Mikey.

Gerard wanted to make it up to his brother and apologize, but he wasn't given the chance. Mikey had avoided him and never returned his calls for days. It was to the extent that he didn't even stay in touch with family and friends they shared. All for the sake of evading his brother, which stung Gerard deeply and distressed everyone.

Days turned weeks, and weeks stretched on to months before Mikey was officially counted as missing. No one had seen or heard from him for far too long. Not even his current "girlfriend", whom Gerard did not fancy the slightest. She was a major subject between the Way brother's feud, but not the root. She wasn't even remotely concerned to discover Mikey had disappeared, nor could she provide any useful clues as to his whereabouts. David, Mikey's band mate and friend, reported that he hadn't been in the studio for weeks, or had been in contact with him at all.

The guilt flooded Gerard and made him distraught, especially when sweet little Bandit had casually asked where her uncle was one day. Heart-stricken, her dad had answered with a simple, "He's not here." The little girl had replied with something that broke Gerard's heart even more. "You know uncle Mikey loves you no matter what, right Daddy?" She had said. That was all it took for Gerard to break down and cry in front of his young, but wise daughter as she fiercely comforted him.

If only Gerard could take back what he had said to Mikey.

~

"Open the damn door, I know you're in there!" Gerard was upset and fuming as he banged on his brother's apartment door. He refused to believe what he saw with his own eyes, and demanded answers straight from the source itself.

The door swung open to reveal an impassive-looking Mikey. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of a lovely midnight visit from my dear brother?"

Gerard shoved his way inside the apartment with Mikey mumbling a sarcastic, "Come on in, then."

Gerard made his way to the kitchen, the younger Way following suit as he bemusedly watched his brother pace back and forth. It took a good few attempts before Gerard decided to be blunt.

"Are you using again?"

To say Mikey had been taken aback was an understatement; he was stunned. "Who told you I was?"

"Don't give me that bull. I was contacted by one of your suppliers, saying you owed money. How stupid was that to put me down as one of your emergency contacts, huh? And then I go and find this-" Gerard threw a bag of cocaine on the table, "-in your sock drawer, typical Mikey Way Hiding Place. I also found bottles of vodka under your bed. Don't bother denying."

"Why the hell were you digging through my stuff, you ass! It's called privacy for a reason!" Mikey didn't want to yell at his brother, but he had the incentive to try and defend himself. "It's not like you haven't been down that road before, either. In fact, we've both been there together."